Requiescat in pace
by DragoonHazuki
Summary: As if he'd predicted the entire thing, when the world fell apart a particular oath that Akashi had demanded in addition to taking each other on for supremacy and absolute obedience came to mind. In a world full of the walking dead and with no absolution in sight what will the Generation of Miracles do to survive and what kind of trials will they endure to fulfil a promise?
1. Bereft

**In collaboration with Naoiz from Tumblr/ Ughlevi from AO3. Perspectives change every chapter and updates will be irregular. Inspiration gleaned from The Walking Dead with loose twisting of the canon plot from Kuroko no Basket to fit the idea that we're running with. Leave a comment or review if you're interested in this piece, it'd be nice to hear where you guys think we're going with this. Thank you for reading.**

He was sick of this shit, day-in and day-out. Cutting through a city had been insane and he'd told Takao as much. Without Oha Asa they were as good as dead anyway, he was loyally fatalistic when it came to horoscopes and though he'd matured and grown a little older he was no less cynical.

"Are you awake?" He'd demanded quietly, back pressed to the wall of the house they had holed up in the past few days. Windows boarded, stairs destroyed so as to stall anything that did manage to break in. Living in the top floor of a house wasn't ideal but it was safer... Then most things. All considered. Takao crashing on the couch, not about to share the bed where two corpses were curled together in what had no doubt been their decision to take the 'easy way out'.

Midorima could hear things. A noise, it was outside but- Any noise was cause for concern. C-could it know there was living beings within? Surely not but... His heart was racing.

It went without saying that the first five or so seconds after waking up every day were the worst; when reality overtook the last remnants of easy dreams were had and reminded them of the hell they now lived in.

Unbeknownst to Midorima, Takao's eyes blinked open, once, twice, seeing the tiny specks of dust that filtered through the thin rays of warm sunlight as it washed through small cracks in the window boards. Next to hit home regardless of where you awakened was the smell that constantly hung in the air, followed by the feel of stiff muscles and hunger pains.

A low noise indicated Takao's head had lifted from the dirty couch, if not that he had moved in some other slight manner. Louder as he begun slowly pressing himself up to sit up slowly. reply Midorima received was breathed and quiet.

"Yeah.." The hawks breath abating. "..Walker?"

Midorima's words were horrible resigned. "I don't know." He always expected the worst but had learned to at least not voice his thoughts aloud. Only keeping to the facts, if applicable. His eyes rolled closed as he continued to listen. Silence, for the longest moments. Had he imagined it?

"...I'll look." He stated, though it was more a question then anything in the way his unsteady voice lilted at the end. It wasn't as if being a 'pro' at basketball had given him outstanding abilities in any other area. If anything, it left him feeling painfully incompetent when it came to things like this. Eyes flickering open and tugging his glasses off to scrub them a little cleaner before he rose. Pushing with his feet so his back slid up the wall.

Recieving a small nod to the rather unsure statement, Takao quietly got up from the sofa, giving his limbs a quick stretch before heading over to their duffle bags at the other side of the room and fetching their daggers. He was quiet, Midorima only became aware of him when he suddenly crouched next to him at the window and held out the other blade, handle facing the shooter.

"See anything?" He was asked as the hawk gave the perimeters a quick glance for any signs of life, or… the dead, ironically. "Hey, how long do you wanna stay here before moving on?" It was relatively safe for now, as safe as one possibly could be given the circumstances, though they knew from experience that that wouldn't last much longer than a couple of days if they were lucky.

With his eyes locked on the top of the stairs, Midorima only glanced back after a few moments and by then Takao was looking more awake than he had a few seconds ago. His eyes dipped to the knife and he accepted it with his right hand. Switching it over to his left, still taped though it wasn't exactly the cleanest job he'd done being unable to change it day to day. Some habits just stuck. Stepping out, he winced at the soft creak of the floorboards and paused briefly, only to go on. Squatting at the top of the steps and peering into the gloom.

Time stretched, on. And on. And on, as silence occasionally alternated to the sound of footsteps which indicated that Takao was either pacing, or keeping watch out the window and then seeing what Midorima was doing. Both equally likely things in any case. As the other abruptly asked him, with concern in his voice "Shin-chan? You alright?" he jerked into movement. Standing with a sigh, unconvinced but with nothing to prove his paranoia was nothing but that. As he turned back, he observed the other leaned against the wall, crouched as he had been before, prior to pacing away. He must have come back to his side, he had taken him by surprise in any case. The others brow was pinched in a defined crease of concentration, or worry.

"Maybe it was a cat." Unlikely, highly, but there was little more that could be said. He looked as tired as he felt as he dropped onto the couch that Takao had just risen from, playing with the dagger that Takao had given him, flicking it in and out of the sheath by mere millimeters with each shift of his thumb. "We should move on soon. They're... We've been lucky so far." Too lucky.

Takao took the move to close the small distance back over to the couch, shifting to sit just in front of it, leaning his head back to rest on the pillows next to Midorima's arm. "Mn, too good to be true, right? Did you sleep at all?" he asked, almost out of habit now. They both worried about traveling—about surviving—on little to no sleep and apparently Takao was especially so about himself, likely unsure how much of it Midorima got though he was sure he didn't sleep very well most nights, perhaps even on the quiet ones. "Find something to eat then move out?"

He admitted begrudgingly; "...I didn't," knowing Takao disapproved heavily of his reluctance to do so. It left him sluggish on the days leading to that occasional 'crash' where he slept so heavily it'd be a blessing if it occurred on a quiet night as opposed to one where they were sleeping to the howls of zombies unable to clamber into their place of residence.

"Ah... There's cans in my bag." He'd picked up a few, intending to keep them for until they were really necessary but reluctance to descend the stairs in search of food prompted him to offer. Not.. That the contents weren't too appealing but if Takao didn't want the dog food then he could have the vegetables instead.

Takao gave him a look—the look he always gave after getting that answer—after turning around to face him, arms folded on the edge of the sofa and chin rested against them. "I'll stay up tonight then." Less than an offer and more of a statement.

With a small, tired sigh, the dark haired boy pushed himself to his feet and headed to the steps to begin the descent after grabbing one of their empty water bottles. "Gather our stuff, I'm gonna look for things downstairs." Another that could be used as a weapon, food or water if they were lucky; anything that could be of use without being too heavy to carry around.

A strangled noise heralded the others decision to stay up courtesy of the stubborn greenet, but he said nothing having learned by now that it was easier to simply allow him to do so. Climbing upright once more Midorima reluctantly shifted about the room to gather together the items that had been scattered here and there. Letting Takao go on ahead, alone, though it wasn't for lack of worry as to what could have been down there. "Don't... Go too far."

Takao managed a tiny hint of a smile at the other's request, replying in a hushed murmur that he wouldn't being climbing down to the lower floor, landing with a quiet thump on the wooden floors below, out of sight.

By the time Takao called "Shin-chan, it's clear" he'd finished and had hoisted his and Takao's bags on respective shoulders. He'd hesitated before deciding over practicality and leaving the pillows. They were too bulky to carry and the coverings weren't clean enough to consider stripping the cases for bandaging.

"We should move on... It's not midday yet so we could get a lot of distance covered." Although he hadn't exactly been specific as to why they needed to go to that place. Even if it meant heading through cities, the equivalent to death traps at best. He jumped down from the upper half of the stairway, once sure he wouldn't land on the dark haired hawk. Trusting him that it was clear.

At least Takao extended the courtesy of siide stepping out of the way to give him enough room to hop down before his bag from Midorima, slinging it over his shoulders after stuffing some of the items that he picked up into one of the side pockets. He followed the greenet to the back entrance, opening the door as quietly as possible and using his large field of vision to scope the area, checking it was safe before giving the go-ahead and taking the first step out of the dull house and into daylight; squinting his eyes to stop the glare from the sun.

Initially, Midorima followed, trusting in the others eyes as he too squinted, blinking rapidly. No doubt it affected Takao's eyes worse though and as such he recovered quickly and continued to keep an eye on their surroundings as he took over leading the way. Trusting that he'd receive a tap to the shoulder if he was about to err in judgement. It was always best to keep from the main roads but that way was to progress more rapidly.

Midorima hadn't disclosed to Takao why exactly they had to cut through the city, though it seems the hawk had decided to trust in him that it where they had to go after realising that it was follow him or go alone with no-one to rely on.

As always he hesitated between the decisions for a second or so before choosing to cut through a building. Leaning against a door so as to listen even as he peered at the hinges as if to try and calculate how much noise they might make while Takao stood guard, watching his back while he was distracted. Once inside, they were equally as cautious, checking through doors before entering a room as well as picking up anything that could be of use to them and storing them away safely. They managed to make it as far as they could travelling through houses along the way before exiting the abandoned residential area and approaching the main streets that they needed to pass through to be on their way to where they needed to go.

"Have you got some plan or something, or are we just going to walk out there?" Takao asked, seemingly steeling his nerves as they crouched the corner of a building before proceeding, his head abruptly tipping back against the wall so as to sigh— now or never.

Midorima had managed to glanced over the layout, the cars piled up would give them some leeway on hiding but at the end of the day the street would act like a funnel for any undead that came through. If they did manage to make it through it was unlikely they'd easily return that way. He thought about leaving the city, taking the long route around then dismissed that idea. They didn't have the food for it. "Behind me, but- Not close." He said simply. He knew Takao would be able to tell if someone was approaching from a fair distance but he rather selfishly wanted the other to have the chance of a headstart should they be walking headlong into a trap. "Let's go." It didn't occur to him that they might come from behind, though he did consider this to be too good to be true.

The other scanned his face for a moment, seeming to be looking for something, trying to read him as if he'd become more difficult to read recently and less like an open book. Just giving a nod that he understood, drawing the knife from it's holder on his belt, knowing to only resort to gunfire if it was absolutely necessary when the concentration of walkers was so dense as it was here that they would risk being swarmed. They'd both learned from experience. He gave Midorima a few steps head start before leaving the relative safety of the corner they were huddled at and made the first successful dash to behind a nearby car.

So far so good. As they progressed little by little Midorima felt less nervous, with the anticipation of success coiling more and more insidiously at the back of his mind. Emerging behind a car had left him face to face with a walker but the face that met his was already rent firmly in the brain, leaving him startled and gasping but very much unassaulted. As this took place, unbeknownst to Midorima, Takao's head snapped forward when he heard the familiar sound of a blade slicing through a skull, eyes wide and mouth agape as he took in the sight in front of him; lingering over the lifeless body on the floor as he stepped over it. It was only a natural reaction, right? To kids who had been pampered with an easy life playing basketball until two years ago.

As Midorima cursed himself for being caught unawares he drew his own knife and forged ahead at a pace that bordered on hurried. Glancing back once to ensure Takao hadn't been left behind.

They encountered three more, Midorima handling the first two as though it were routine and Takao the third, wincing at the spray of blood that hit him. At some point the hawk disregarded his instructions to remain a little way away from each other, to give them room to dispatch anything that attacked, giving Midorima's arm a soft tug once he reached him at the next car the crouched behind to catch their breath and check the area for their next move forward.

"Hey, are you alright?" Takao had thought to ask, although Midorima could only imagine that it was because of the most recent corpse they'd stepped over courtesy of Midorima's skills with a knife. Not impressive skills, but practical and learned through a fear of dying and the unknown. A corpse with green hair.

"...I don't have time for your jokes right now, Takao." His words were far from firm. He was- It didn't matter what he was, but they were still in the open. Even though he felt sort-of crushed. Was it? He couldn't tell clearly enough thanks to the rot but it had been the same hairstyle he remembered her favouring among other things.

"...I- Never mind." He'd almost admitted his suspicions before deciding the better of it. If he needed to cry, he'd do so when they were safe, even though his chest ached and shook. He was so... Angry. "Is it clear?"

Based on some kind o internal judgement, Takao held his tongue and seemed to will away everything he was feeling and the tight feeling in his chest just like they had learned to do long ago though it was always difficult forcing yourself to be detached and shoving off the weight that hung. Swallowing dryly, the hawk leaned up just enough to see through the dusty windows of the car they were hiding behind, scouting out their best route considering how far from clear it was.

"Four on the right and another group a little further up but if we can cross the street there's a clean stretch and an alley at the end of the street."

Midorima surmised in a low tone "...It's going to be tough." Thinking as he spoke slowly "Can you tell if it's a dead end?" They could rush it but that would be the end of them if there was nowhere to go. They could go slowly but then there was the risk of being trapped and then overwhelmed, pinned between the two groups. Neither a desirable option. Playing absently with the top of the drawn blade in his opposite hand.

Sinking back down and leaning against the door of the car Takao shook his head, looking regretful. Takao had been here before before things began, though he wasn't familiar enough with the layout of the city. Not that Midorima knew this fact in any case. As a thought struck him suddenly the dark haired teen murmured for Midorima to keep an eye out as he leaned up to look into the car again. Carefully opening the door, cursing the rusty creaking it made as he leaned in and pulled open the glove compartment; thanking his stars when he found a map. "Can you buy me like, two minutes so I can read this?"

Midorima replied immediately, albeit stumbling over his words "I- Yes." There was no 'maybe' in this sort of thing. Feeling distinctly out of his depth thanks to his narrower line of vision then what Takao could command he willed his thumping heart to be silent and kept his ears and eyes open. Of course, one just had to come groaning past, wet and fetid flesh sucking at air and letting loose a low and aggressive noise even as Midorima pulled it back with him and let the dagger awkwardly slip up through the bottom of the creatures jaw and into it's skull with a sharp exhale. Long moments had him lowering it, his shirt entirely covered in splatters too now and attention on his surroundings. He could hear... More, but he couldn't tell if they were coming closer just yet. Peering about the cars they were wedged between. "Takao, hurry up." He hissed under his breath.

He could hear Takao flipping through the pages with haste, cursing under his breath while seeming to have a spot of difficulty finding the appropriate pages, no doubt trying his hardest to drown out the sounds around him and to concentrate; hushing Midorima when he hurried him along, trying not to panic and delay himself any further. Unseen, he dragged a grubby finger across the page after locating the correct one, he found the street they were currently on after looking around to find a street sign, following it along the page to the alley he spotted a moment ago, almost jumping to his feet after determining it wasn't a dead end. Stuffing the map under his arm, he dashed out from behind the car. "Go, run—" Takao took the lead this time only because he knew where he was going, planning on letting Midorima take over again once they had cleared this area; plunging his knife into the creature that took him by surprise from behind a ruined bus stop, dropping the map in the process and hoping to whatever gods there was that Midorima picked it up. He made sure not to run too far ahead, that he stayed within earshot of Midorima though used the chance to clear the path for him while he was a few steps forward; inching closer to the alley.

The ace'd snatched for it, startled by Takao suddenly taking off but that left him the worse for it. One walker slipped between them and he hesitated, eyes flickering to a clear route before deciding resolutely he wouldn't leave Takao that easily. He'd twisted to let the bag on his shoulder take the brunt of the sudden, lunging bite and had stabbed it's neck somehow. The knife grated against it's spine with a disgusting noise but apparently that was enough- perhaps he'd severed it's spine? It slumped though it was still making noises. Stepping over and shuddering as he hastened up behind Takao who was doing an unexpectedly good job of cutting down the walkers that could impede their journey.

He almost felt bad that he'd hesitated to follow him when the route had become a little tougher, and not by much at all. "Just run, they're- They can probably.." Hear them. There was a disheartening, no, terrifying rumble in the distance. Well, not so much a rumble but multiple footfalls were clearly audible. Jerking Takao's arm and somehow managing to deftly tug them through a knot of three of the lurching creatures.

Takao almost lost his footing when suddenly tugged though he righted himself quickly. His plan was a risky one, hoping that the walkers wouldn't have breached the chain fences that covered the alleys and that the back paths were kept clear; he knew it was risky but if he was right then it gave them some leeway cover some distance out of the retail district that was heavily infested with the creatures and reach the stretch of road that lead to the next city. Highways were littered with abandoned cars though experience told them that they were mostly clear by now with walkers migrating constantly to places where the living still survived. If they could make it that far they could breathe a little, though of course not completely let their guard down. As far as Midorima knew it was a clean stretch, a home run but to where? He couldn't read the map on the go like this and had to hope Takao would pick out somewhere they could hole up or else that was it. He was never more relieved than he had been now that their stamina was good.

Reaching the fenced alley, a small sliver of hope plucked at the hawk after seeing the fence was still in tact and the stretch of narrow alleyway was clear. He threw his bag up over it and took a few steps back, running at it and making a jump, grabbing the top bar and using the mix of momentum and terrified adrenaline to clear the fence; making room for Midorima to do the same.

The shooter threw his bag over too but hadn't felt buzzed enough to jump over cleanly. Scrabbling up it, the tape on his fingers making it a bit more difficult to scale but he was up and over before the walkers hit it at least. Landing heavily, a sharp grunt. Not the best landing but at least he hadn't been hurt. Snatching the bags, unwilling to stay. "Look at the map and let's go." He snapped, not angry but scared. He didn't want to hang around any longer then they had to. Especially when the chainlinks were beginning to creak in a manner that was nigh on worrying under the weight of the snarling critters.

Taking the map back, Takao flipped to the right page with ease this time after memorising the page number and walked close to Midorima's side, holding the map where he could see it as they walked, pointing out the route so that they both knew where they were going, making sure he understood before taking his bag back from him and storing away the book that had proven to be useful to them and would no doubt continue to in the future. Another quick check after reaching the end of the small alley that the coast was clear before proceeding.

Midorima just wants to get as much distance between them and that fence as he can so he picked up the pace to a light jog, attention still on his surroundings and ignoring the convenience stores that were raided long ago. They're tempting but it's unlikely there's anything left. If anything they'd have better luck checking houses. He slowed a little; "Keep with the road and take our luck? Or bunk down while it's safe?" At this rate they'd make very little movement if they chose the latter, but it'd take time to proof the house enough to be confident they could sleep with ease.

Takao tried to sound more convinced then he felt as he instructed that they should; "Take the road for now, there's some houses a while away but if we can make it there before it's dark we'll have somewhere to pitch for the night. If we don't waste any time we can make it," It was a long stretch of land to cover in one day but it was the best of both worlds if they made it; covering a fair bit of distance like they wanted to as well as finding somewhere to rest for a few hours while it was dark. If they were in luck they'd find some supplies depending on how many other people had done the same as them.

Midorima echoed the hawk "If.." He had repeated, although he seemed to take the suggestion on board seriously, nodding in agreement. "We should move quickly then... It... Let's try and avoid them instead of fighting every single one we come across." Already in movement, his gaze roaming about his surroundings although not checking perhaps as thoroughly enough as he should as he hurried. Sometimes it was better to cut your losses.

It was always an 'if' when they did anything, there were no guarantees anymore. Takao gave a curt nod when the plan was decided on, readjusting the bag on his shoulder and followed along, handing lead back to Midorima as he planned, returning to the few steps behind from before and trusting the other to keep the path in front of him clear and to notify him of any danger. He took most time searching around them, sometimes checking in cars when he thought he spotted something in the corner of his eye though only bothering to gather anything that would be especially useful to them.

Sometimes it was better to cut your losses, Midorima reflected, especially when you tripped over what seemed like a dead body only to realise you'd grazed your shins in the process of discovering a duffel. The ace had not hesitated to open it, expression tight with surprise before zipping it closed and throwing it over his other shoulder before brushing off the blood speckling his calves as he continued onwards. Making sure Takao wasn't left behind- Did he glance back too much?

As if noticing the ace's stumble and wondered what took him so long to get back to his feet Takao had hurried forward to catch up with him though by the time he reached Midorima was already up and carrying another bag.

"I'm fine, just keep going," Takao called out as if belatedly noticing he was being checked on, not that he didn't appreciate the concern though he didn't want him tripping over anything else and they still had a couple of hours to travel before reaching their hoped refuge for the night. After an hour or so on the road he admitted to being pleasantly surprised at the relative lack of roaming creatures, glad that they had all seemed to be concentrated in the town they just left sans for the odd wanderer though they dealt with those quickly and quietly before heading back on their way.

When it had started to grow dusky Midorima was relieved to see houses become more frequent, over the slightly larger buildings that had been dotting each side of the roads. His body ached, no less his shins, and he quickened to a jog in anticipation. Which? His stomach gurgled and he grimaced, hoping they'd find food soon enough. Not that they'd have long to look if they needed to pick and clear a house of the undead before more or less using furnature to board up and block all the entrances and exits. He decisively picked one at random, pushing the door open and stepping in as his heart raced. It stank of rot which could mean one of three things, and it was darker inside then out. Adjusting his glasses as he gripped the knife tighter and moving intot he first of the rooms as his heart fluttered nervously.

Lifting an arm to wipe sweat from his brow once they approached the house, Takao used to moment to catch his breath, trying to keep his breathing as quiet as possible as they inched inside; both recoiling with the smell they were hit with though the fact they didn't have to force the door opened was a relief that nobody was home using it as shelter already. People, those who had managed to live this long, had changed and were often just as dangerous as the undead; untrusting and surviving on instinct alone, willing to kill others just to take their supplies. Kill or be killed.

Snaking quietly over to cover Midorima's weaker side as they stepped through the room, Takao peered around the corner into the next and waved the other to follow him, there were two walkers in what used to be a living room though they didn't seem to notice them. By now they could co-ordinate attacks like this without planning, simply using actions like pointing and a nod to make their intentions clear; doing just this before darting forward and jamming his blade into the back of the creature's skull with a sickening crunch, catching the body and laying it down quietly to avoid an attention-drawing thump when it would hit the floor.

Midorima on the other hand was slow on the uptake, the second creature had already lunged at Takao while he was lowering the first body and with the finesse that he had made his shots back in Shuutoku practise he acted on instinct, hurling the dagger. Alas, his accuracy was nothing compared to the weight of a ball in his hands and the dagger went awry, striking in the face hard enough to knock it down with a sizeable thump but not to kill it.

While struggling to free his arm that had been grasped, panic-stricken to say the least as his heart hammered against his ribs, Takao recoiled in shock as he watched the blade whiz past his face—too close for comfort—and lodge itself in the creature's face. He fell backwards once he was released, bracing his fall and catching most of his weight with his palms once he hit the floor before quickly scrambling to his feet and stifling the the laugh he felt in his chest. "That was like something out of a movie, Shin-chan. What if you hit me by accident?" he joked though kept his voice hushed as he grabbed the other's arm and tugged him back up to his feet.

Midorima was astride moments later with a knee pressed against it's throat as he tried to tug the embedded weapon free. Thanking the lord that nothing else had appeared despite the noise. Unless the bang hadn't been as loud as he thought, but then they were jumpy and overly cautious. "Detestable." He muttered under his breath as the blade wiggled free and drove it home as eyes averted, through optic nerve and straight into brain.

He missed basketball. In any case, they weren't done clearing the house and if there were two downstairs there was bound to be more throughout the house.

In retort, Midorima grit out "-Shut up." His face reddening as he adjusted his glasses, smudging them a little in the process and swallowing a curse word in turn. He received a brief grin as he was helped up which was gone as soon as it had been gifted. He shivered, recalling the look on Takao's face when his arm had been grabbed and turned out from the room. It was too quiet, he didn't like it in the slightest. The air was thick and musty, he eyed the stairs. Footprints, too many of them to count. He swallowed firmly and begun the ascent, waving Takao to check the rest of the first floor as he went ahead, not that there were many other rooms. It was a pretty risky move, receiving an unsure look from the hawk when told to scope the rest of the lower floor himself and a resigned, tired sigh though Takao nodded once.

"Call if you need to." The hawk stated as he heading off to check the rest of the lower rooms. Eventually, after apparently securing the ground floor, Takao called in an altogether too loud voice; "Shin-chan, anything up there?"

He could hardly reply could he? Midorima hadn't even entered the rooms he'd glanced into and the total made him utterly miserable. Especially since they had jerked into action at the others yell. Yanking the door shut and wincing at the thumping. It was loud, frantic and pretty much answered the others question impeccably. "I- Think there's three of them." He called back, unsure how long it'd take them to emerge. "This is going to attract more... We have to let them out and split them up, or something."

At the sound of the thumping Takao abruptly appeared, climbing up a few stairs to look up at Midorima at the top of the landing. "..Draw them out and push one down the stairs? I'll run up and help after I kill it." He sounded unsure but he had no other ideas, unless Midorima had a better one.

The ace affirmed; "...I'll try." He couldn't promise he'd succeed but it was better then dying or something. Or maybe he would- No, if he had surely Akashi wouldn't have bothered making him swear? A little confidence seeped into then as he broadened his shoulders. "Don't let anything sneak up on you from behind." He breathed softly even as he kicked at the door. It didn't shift- Their bodies physically pressed against it. If anything the arm that had forced it's way through was a blessing. He could do it this way couldn't he?

"Yeah, yeah, I won't," Takao had replied, sounding confident even as Midorima moved closer and tugging at the arm to prompt the walker in question to redouble it's efforts and earn a stabbed face in reward. One down, and another was already lunging at the too-small gap above the sagged, slain corpse. Shit shit shit.

The grip that tightened his arm had him yelp and he yanked, feeling hot breath and panting abruptly, wide-eyed and feeling much like Takao must have mere hours ago he lashed out indiscriminately. It was... Quiet. Maybe he'd miscounted in the panic? Only two?

Belatedly he realised how tired he was. Swaying a little on his feet. An unfortunate time for realisations. "I- Sorted it. Sorry." Apologising, likely for worrying the other. "We don't have time to sit around, we need to block up the doors and windows."

Once Takao had seen Midorima was in a spot of trouble he'd begun to ascend the stairs, though he managed to take care of himself by the time Takao had reached the top stair. Maybe it was the lingering panic and fear that was clear in his face, but it only took a second of looking at him from the close distance to knew that the ace was running on reserves, most likely from not having slept the night before coupled with the long journey they'd covered with little to no rest.

Shrugging his bag off his shoulders, he handed it to Midorima and gave him a small nudge towards one of the clear rooms upstairs. "I'll do that, you set things up up here." He wasn't for negotiating this time; he was tired himself though not as much as the other, deciding to take on this task that had become a standard procedure on his own.

Downstairs, Takao pushed the sofa across the floor to barricade the front door, wedged planks of wood and pieces of broken broom sticks in front of windows to block them off, while wedging the back of a kitchen chair under the door handle at the back to stop it being opened. When he was satisfied that they downstairs was secure enough, he headed back towards the stairs to check on the other.

Once Midorima had managed to force the walkers out of the ruined doorframe and had been able to open it he had regretted it, the room was... Squalid. Disgusting. He'd checked the cabinets and cupboards, finding some pills and a few thick blankets in a cupboard before heading into another room. Empty, dark and actually kind of clean. There wasn't much but boxes and he decided there wasn't much point looking through them all. Ornaments and the such, hardly useful. The old clothes might come in handy though, and surprisingly there were towels in the bathroom. Retreating back to the room of boxes he shoved enough aside to turn the small room into somewhere they could sleep, or take turns in doing so. Throwing down the blankets and towels to make something a little softer than the bare floor. As Takao called up to ask if he was done, he shrugged to indicate he wasn't sure as he returned to the room with the corpses in search of unsullied linen of any sort. "I made up a bed." He said finally as he drug an armful of crumpled sheets and returned to the pile, tossing them down inelegantly.

It'd do.

"I'll see what food there is." He volunteered, needing to be kept active and doing something. If any was even left. But with walkers here it suggested it was untouched and thus a prize to be had.

Ascending the stairs to check on how things were going, Takao watched the taller boy's back as he exited the room without a word.

"Looks good," the hawk mused aloud, glancing over the makeshift bed that wasn't exactly five star though definitely an improvement on some of their previous lodgings. "'Kay, I'll be here," he announced, letting the other wander off in search of food now that he was sure that the lower floor was safe.

Once left to his own devices, he smoothed out the last pile of sheets that were tossed on to the pile and sat down, cross legged. Pulling out the first aid kit that he found downstairs, he searched through it to see what was left and sat aside things they could use; a little ecstatic at some of the things he found, including a pack of disinfectant clothes, gauze, scissors and fresh tape they could use for Midorima's fingers.

It was definately a haul, that Midorima could say for sure as he absently checked cupboards but that hadn't been why he'd wanted to go downstairs. No, that was a lie- He'd wanted to distract himself but it wasn't working. His thoughts kept straying back to his sister, his sweet if non horoscope-abiding sister. A shiver ran his spine, he leaned heavily on the counter and settled his face in his hands. Letting the darkness of the room envelop him. Why was it that the stupidest of memories and thoughts surfaced at times like these?

He hadn't even meant to kill her, walker or not. Had he known it was her bearing down on him he might have at least hesitated but it hadn't been until he'd stabbed her that he'd realised, and with another lunging he'd had no time to stop and think, only enough time to take the small, stuffed toy which had been all but wedged in her pocket and keep going. He sought it now, in his pockets and realised he must have left it upstairs with his bags as his breath caught in his throat and sadness assailed him. He wasn't a robot, he was human and of course he was upset. Now he wasn't in- that mindset where he would do anything to survive and it was too late to stop himself from sobbing softly. Thankful at least the distance between them would mean Takao was unaware he was breaking down like this.

For a while, the hawk had distracted himself with fiddling through the first aid kit and even rearranging the contents of his bag, packing it more efficiently and making more room for whatever else they may come across. So much so that he almost didn't realise how long Midorima had been gone and how quiet it was; he couldn't hear him moving about at all, no cupboards opening and close, nothing.

Worry began to sink in when he remembered that they already had food in their bags, and that Midorima knew this after he mentioned it earlier that morning before they left. The image of one walker they encountered flashed through his mind and things clicked into place for him, little pieces of the puzzle fitting together and all he could do was sit where he was, torn about what to do; give him the space he wanted or try to bring some sort of comfort. He was a closed off character to begin with but this was different. This was delicate and Takao knew he could very easily make things worse if he didn't approach it properly.

Takao waited for a while, impatient as he let the minutes tick by after deciding to leave the other be for the time being. Eventually he made the quiet descent to go find him; sitting on the floor and slouched back against the cupboards in the kitchen. Takao crouched in front of him, fresh bandages in one hand. "Want me to change them?"

Midorima was exhausted and his eyes were both dry and red from the tears he had shed in his stubbornly silent grief. By the end of it he just felt empty, how could she have even been that far from home? What had his parents been doing- Had they just abandoned her? Perhaps she'd run away looking for him, he should never have gotten separated from them to begin with, oath or not. He couldn't remember when he had shifted from leaning over the counter to sitting crumpled against it but the abruptly soft and understanding tones from the man who had silently padded into the kitchen drew him from his reverie. He fumbled with his glasses in some passibly weak semblence of adjusting them and lolled his head back with less then a little zeal, letting his gaze meet the hawks.

Blue hues watched every little movement, every rare thread of emotion that played out across the shooter's face when he allowed their eyes to meet; keeping his mind from wandering down the track that the very same thing could have happened to his own family by now. It was a miracle the both of them were even still alive as it was.

It was hurting again, Midorima's chest, and he was battling with his pride while without an answer for the others offer. His kindnesses, his indulgence and his understanding. It was rather selfishly he leaned forwards and let his frame crumple against the slightly smaller one, craving the comfort of another person but not indiscriminately so. "...Yes." He finally said, though he didn't loose his arms, if anything tightening them.

Tired arms wove around the taller boy's frame as the hawk came forward to rest against him, lifting his chin slightly and tucking it over the other's shoulder. His eyes closed over, breathing out a quiet 'Okay,' before tightening his own grip around him, finding comfort in Midorima's body heat and only hoping the same could be said vice versa.

Reluctantly he pulled back after he felt the arms around him go slack, sitting down properly in front on him and carefully grasping his left hand. Old, dirtied bandages were unravelled and sat to the side, replaced with fresh, clean tapes; much better at doing this now compared to the first time he tried, loose and just a general mess. After securing the last wrap, he gave the elder's hand a small, reassuring squeeze before looking up at him again, properly this time instead of the small glances he stole while he was at work. "Good as new, eh?"

The warmth seared, it made the ace feel even more exhausted and as such he had succumbed to his tiredness easily, surrendered to the now expert hands which picked apart the bindings. His eyes drifted to a far wall and then out the door. Dully taking in the barricaded door. His attention only wandered back when he was spoken to. Blinking at how neat his handiwork was.

He probably shouldn't have kissed him, it wasn't appropriate and they certainly hadn't done anything like that since before- Since they had been back in school and even then it had been nervous and fumbling, and a mess of spontanious emotions that had developed into something a little more consistant. Were they even together any more?

Takao's breath hitched at the unexpected kiss, eyes wider than usual as his chest tightened with the distantly familiar feel of lips pressed against his own; far more chapped than the last time he remembered though somehow still just as soft. He wasn't sure what they were anymore, wasn't even sure it mattered. All he knew that so long as he had a breath in his lungs, he'd not leave his side even if he asked him to.

He hoped it would linger for a little longer than it had.

He was overthinking, as he drew back with a heady sigh. At least it kept his thoughts from- That. "I... Is it okay if I sleep first again?" He hadn't indulged in selfish requests for a long time, until now. Receiving a small smile at the other's request before the hawk hopped to his feet, taking both of Midorima's hands to help pull him up as well.

"Yep, your turn anyway," Takao answered easily, having already decided he'd let him sleep this time around whether he wanted to or not. After heading up the creaky stairs and blocking off the path as they did every time, he leaned against the door frame of their makeshift room, staring down at the pile of sheets and blankets. "Will you be able to sleep?"

Midorima remained quiet for a moment, having almost said 'as long as you sleep with me' but such a thing was impractical. Even if no walker had broken in for a long time it was too risky, he regretted that factor a lot. They'd sacrificed security and happiness for a selfish whim- his selfish whim to stick to old promises. Allowing himself to be tugged up, exerting some effort himself too, he stood and followed him up the stairs after assisting him to ruin them, an effective but tiring way of assuring some extra safety. "I'll try." Taking off his glasses and placing them aside as he tugged the two bags closer, glancing in one before pushing it towards Takao. "I found this while we were out- food. It was pure luck, that's all." Enough food to tide them over a while. With that plus what was in the cupboards they probably wouldn't be anywhere near to hungry for a week. It was a good sign, things were in some small way picking up. The other bag had what he wanted and he extracted the toy that had been shoved in it with a bitter smile, gripping it tightly in one hand as he curled on the bed. His new 'lucky item' until he found something else.


	2. Laid Up

A rough nudge to his side sent a ripple of pain down that side of his body, sore all over right down to his bones with a wince and a croaky groan as the ache drew him back into consciousness. When eyes cracked open, vision was blurry for the initial few seconds before one, two, three blinks brought back enough focus to glance around his surroundings; nothing familiar. It looked like the interior of a ransacked corner shop, but he'd only recalled collapsing in the street. Managing to pull a few of the slaughtered bodies over him in a feeble feat to remain undiscovered by the walkers. He must have passed out. No, nothing was familiar at all, except— "Aominecchi..." His own voice sounded foreign to his ears, hoarse beyond recognition before he fell into a coughing fit all dry throat and dusty lungs and, God, he was thirsty. "Water—"

The phrase 'Should have figured you'd become a pretty walker' echoed in his mind and he realised it must have been something he'd picked up, half conscious and smothered by the weight of rotting flesh when Aomine somehow discovered and recognised him beneath the stagnant blood and gore.

He tried sitting himself up a little more though he couldn't muster the strength and his arms gave way beneath him, slumping back rather lifelessly to the slouched position he was sitting in to begin with. He could barely manage holding his head up and keeping his eyes open and all he wanted to do was sleep but; "Where am I?" was the only thing he could manage to spit out through ragged breaths, still groggily looking around the room. How long had he been out there? Where was everybody else, why couldn't he see them here— His chest tightened with realisation that they weren't here, pieces of memories slotting back into place. Eyes pricked with the sting of tears though none spilled after a deep breath was taken and held, eyes pinched shut as he pacified himself god knows how; holding it together for as long as he could manage. The breath was released when he felt like he had calmed enough and his head lolled back, amber hues watching the other's form and it was all too bittersweet.

"Tch." Another soft noise of discontent escaped from the tanned ace that clearly seemed to think he was going to have to baby him and likely had decided that it'd be impossible to do that if a walker broke in. Still, he shifted from Kise's sight and soon returned to drop a bottle of something onto the blond mans' stomach. Waiting. No sympathy, some things would never change. With a small groan when the bottle landed on his stomach. "Can you drink that?" More like can you open it? Apparently the Touou ace didn't expect as much and sank to his knees with a scowl to reach for the bottle. As he passed it back to Kise, trembling fingers wrapped around the other's wrist in a loose grasp out of instinct when he began pouring some water into his mouth in a slow stream, giving him a weak push away when he had enough. He still had enough energy in his reserves to realise how humiliating the current situation was, hardly able to lift his head in front of the person he once devoted most of his time and effort into surpassing on the court, though he lacked the energy to care at that moment. "I lost my hairbrush," he croaked out in response after his former teammate commented that he 'looked like shit', a half-hearted joke knowing he probably looked as bad as he felt. "Help me up," asked as he attempted sitting up again, managing it this time with the other's help as Aomine tugged him roughly upright and shifted him back a bit so he could lean on a nearby counter. Leaving him with his hands free as he subsequently flopped onto his back with hands behind his head like a pillow, still within Kise's line of sight. Lips no longer parched though still cracked, the Kaijou ace asked "Have you been looking for Akashicchi?"

An aggravated sigh met his question and the other shrugged his shoulders slightly, speaking in a tone that was casual as if they'd been talking about the weather though it was clear there was concern hidden deeply somewhere in there. "Nah. Satsuki."

"Momocchi…" he muttered under his breath, thoughtful with undertones of worry in his voice as he glanced around the darkened room looking for any signs of her being around, pausing for a moment as he looked at the bordered up windows and realised for the first time just how dark it was outside. "Is she out there on her own? Where is she?"

The reply was rather blunt and blasé; "Dunno. I haven't seen her since I left the checkpoint. She... Didn't want to leave her family." But it went unspoken between them as to why they had both separated from safety—the closest thing to it anyway. "Whatever. You should sleep- I have blankets out back. You're not bitten are you?"

"I guess we'll see her when we get there," the blonde mused with forced optimism, leaning his head back against the surface behind him. "No, I'm clean." He couldn't remember getting bitten before passing out, nor could he feel any cuts anywhere. "Aominecchi, will you stay with me?" A double meaning, both for the night and on the journey to find the others.

"Ah? Sure." Accepting the others proposal easily. Apparently no matter how irritating he could be even Aomine wouldn't shirk at the prospect of having someone watch his back. "You hungry?" The ace asked as he glanced over with uncharacteristic concern bleeding into his expression.

A hint of a smile ghosted across Kise's lips when his request was agreed to, murmuring a quiet 'Thanks' under his breath. "Starving." He couldn't remember how long it'd been since he last ate or what the last thing he ate even was.

Aomine sat up, and then stood. Stooping to try and tug Kise up, succeeding despite his considerable weight. Once tugged to his feet, bearing whatever pain it roused as silently as the former Kaijou student could, he kept one of his arms hooked around the other's neck, leaning some weight against his side as they walked through wherever they were, he still wasn't sure, stepping over anything that was scattered across the floor. He was a little surprised, honestly, at how well stocked the Aomine seemed to be and the place looked like a reliable safe hold. "How long have you been here?" asked as he slid away from leaning on Aomine and lowered himself down into a seat in front of a table to take respite from standing any longer.

"Uhh. Two weeks? I guess. There was actually someone else staying here but when the walkers drove them out I cleared up and blocked the entries." Grabbing a handful of packets and cans he shoved them on the table, along with the tin-opener he'd been using. "Knock yourself out. When you're done I'll drag you to the toilets so you can wash that stink off you."

"You don't smell so fresh either, you know," he murmured distractedly while fiddling with a pack of something-or-another; it was hard to read the packaging with the low lighting but he didn't care what it was. Food was food and no-one could afford to be fussy anymore. "Oi, it isn't that bad." The Touou ace barked, a low laugh slipping out as he eased himself into the chair opposite to the blond and he reached for a can peeling it open, digging in.

"It's pretty bad," he replied teasingly with a warm smile on his lips for the first time in who knows how long, not realising how much he missed the sound of laughter. It felt a bit odd how conversation had slipped into gear so easily despite everything, Aomine was still quite rough around the edges but he didn't mind so much. He'd come to realise that familiarity was the greatest comfort he could hope for.

Two weeks without having to move out though? Part of him wondered how long it'd be safe to stay somewhere like this, that maybe putting the plan to keep moving on hold and staying put for as long as possible would be a good idea. "How long were you going to stay here?" he spoke behind his hand while chewing on something once he managed to open it, still not sure what it was but the flavour wasn't so bad, definitely an improvement on the rations he had been living off before.

For a long time Aomine remained quiet, apparently unsure what to say. "Dunno. Maybe until the walkers drove me out, or I got bitten." For some reason Kise couldn't imagine it ending up as the latter option Aomine gave, assuming his survival instinct was greater than 'or until I get bitten'. Brushing off the notion, he ran a hand through his matted hair, pushing it away from his face. "It's funny, right? That you found me."

Shrugging off the question casually as it seemed the other wasn't really up for a heart to heart debate. "I was looking for weapons when I dug you up. Sometimes the walkers... Well, they still have stuff from when they were trying to survive. 'Least I didn't have to give you CPR." Expression wrinkling which betrayed he was probably trying to imagine it.

Occasionally Kise bumped the side of his boot against the others under the table, an old habit from before that still felt natural and no doubt would still get under Aomine's skin. Once he'd had his fill, feeling a small second wind after getting something to eat and a proper chance to rest for a few moments, he managed to get out of the chair himself this time without any aid, though did take a precautionary grasp at Aomine's forearm to steady himself. "Where's the bathroom?"

"That one." Was the response as the blue haired man indicated the room that was literally just a few steps away. "There's only a sink, urinal and toilet though." With surprising patience he walked the other over, holding the door for him and then leaving him at the sink in favour of something else.

Taking advantage of the being left alone for a few moments, Kise checked his reflection for the first time in a dirty, cracked mirror that hung in the wall; half-horrified at the broken reflection, thinking to himself that Aomine wasn't kidding when he said he 'looked like shit'. Wasting no time, he managed to peel his soiled shirt off and dropped it in a crumpled pile on the floor—maybe he could find a way to wash it the next day—trying not to wince or groan at the dull pains that moving around seemed to induce. The water from the sink was ice cold though he was of course in no position to complain, cupping some in his hands as he began washing the dirt off his body; face first, followed by washing whatever clumps of dirt and blood and debris from his hair that he could, arms next and then torso, trying to keep his teeth from chattering as muscles seized with shivers as the water washed over them, ignoring the small pool that was gathering on the floor; looking over his shoulder when he heard a familiar voice by the door asking if he was done. "Almost. Do you have any dry clothes, by the way?" He had some in his own bag though he wasn't sure where that was or if Aomine had picked it up when he found him.

The reply was abrupt, tone exasperated; "Yeah. You want boxers too?"

"Please."

Taking the clothes when they were handed to him, he finished washing off the last of the dirt from his legs and changed into the fresh clothes; thankful for the warmth of the hoody and jeans almost as soon as he pulled them on. Navigating his way through the dark rooms when he was done, he spotted the other's silhouette and padded towards him, arms held out in case he bumped into something en route though he ended up loosely wrapping them around his shoulders when he reached him.

When arms wrapped the ace, he reacted abruptly; seeming startled by the movement and tugging Kise around with him as the heavier male straddled the model and thumped the hardest part of his forearm across the blond's throat.

"Wait—!" Exclaimed when he felt the sharp movement, hardly having enough time to brace his landing, wincing when he made contact with the edge of their makeshift bedding that Aomine had put together while Kise was freshening up, though he was still tender all over, and the softer landing offered little comfort.

That arm pressed, for the briefest of moments before Aomine froze and then slid off him with a gruff noise; "Don't do that." He had said lamely, as if Kise hadn't already realised the reason why it was bad to do it. "You scared the shit out of me."

Reaching up and placing his hands on Aomine's shoulders, pushing against him with whatever strength he could muster to ease the pressure off his throat, Kise ended up heaving a sigh when he was released. Staring up at the ceiling for a moment, he eventually sat up, rubbing his elbow which received a bump from hitting the floor. "Didn't mean to." Clearly, though he assumed he would have heard him approaching. Nevertheless, he shifted properly onto the makeshift bed, a clusterfuck of piled up blankets fresh from the packaging they'd been vacuum packed into and spread out enough for two people. From the smell, it seemed like Aomine had slept well on them more than once. He pulled back the top cover and slid under it, lying on his back initially for a couple of seconds before twisting onto his side, facing the other. "..Will you tackle me if I try again?"

Aomine had by now, pushed himself upright and turned his attention to tugging a heavy set of boxes in front of the door to this room, blockading it 'just in case'. Soon he came to join the copycat, resting his head on one arm, the other half curled in front of him. Facing Kise with a soft; "Tch" which soon elaborated into; "You surprised me, but that was pure luck. Do whatever you want."

The copycats' doe eyes searched through the dark for the others expression though they couldn't see much. As a muscular arm wrapped about his waist, happily, he slid a little closer when given a tug, the arm he wasn't laying on snaking around Aomine's back. "Who knew it'd be so easy to scare Aominecchi?" The pout had been replaced with an easy smile, a playful tone to his quiet voice as he tucked himself under the other's chin, mindful of keeping his damp hair out of the way to save the complaining it would have no doubt earned if, heaven forbid, it would have touched him. He couldn't seem to will away the pleasant stirring in the pit of his stomach as he greedily soaked in every morsel of body heat that he could, committing it to memory so that he wouldn't forget again what it felt like. Sans for the obvious threat that always loomed overhead, things felt sort of... normal. It was a little overwhelming to think about and thoughts inevitably wandered to the path that brought him here for the first time since he woke up earlier, though he pushed them aside for now out of the fear of ending up crying. Instead, the arm around the other's frame tightened as he pressed his cheek against his chest, listening to the faint echo of his heartbeat through the surprisingly comfortable silence. With the arm he had tucked in front of himself, he pawed about in the darkness in search for Aomine's hand, finding it eventually and grasping on to it when he felt tiredness setting back in.

"Lucky I didn't have a knife otherwise it'd have been too late." Kise's bed-partner muttered under his breath, apparently irritated that the blond seemed proud of catching the Touou's ace off guard.

"But you didn't, so it's fine," The model mumbled against Aomines' shirt, nuzzling his cheek a little against it—not entirely sure why, but it felt nice and he remembered doing it on a couple of occasions before when he had been allowed to on good days. After a moment he pulled his head back slightly when he couldn't seem to settle despite how comfortable and tired he was, purposely brushing his nose against the other's chin when he looked up, then to the side and across his jaw slightly. He was hesitating, wanting to kiss him now that it was quiet and they'd settled and he was feeling a bit more human than he was earlier. Uncertainty was pushed aside, unable to ignore the warm breaths that brushed his cheek and comforting grip around his hand, chastely pressing lips together with the resolve that he almost died and why the hell not? He was told to 'Do whatever you want', after all.

Aomine didn't hold back from demanding a deeper kiss, tongue forcing its way into Kises' mouth even as he broke where their hands joined in favour of tugging one of the copycats' thigh atop his hip, allowing the tanned male to slide his frame closer. Aomine pushed his groin forwards, beginning to grind against the model with a low rasp; "...This is your fault."

Kise's arms slipped slightly from Aomine's back to his side while trailing chilled fingertips over his skin and drifting around to his stomach. Hitching his leg a little higher up. He hummed softly, agreeing absentmindedly, more interested at present with the hungry press of lips and brush of tongue. How long had it been? Couldn't remember, didn't matter much either. Rolling onto his back, using the grip of his leg perched on a hip and a hand grasping a shoulder, he pulled the other's slightly larger body above his own. He rolled willingly with the motion and the kiss was deepened by his partner. Apparently he was more than eager to recall the pre-apocalyptic days where they fucked like bunnies. Hips pushing down firmly and grinding. As lips finally tugged apart, Kise managed to leave a light nip to the kiss-swollen lower lip of his partner, breathing ragged, before Aomine's lips travelled to the models' throat to kiss and leave viciously excited bites.

Kise threaded thin fingers through short, dark locks of hair, closing in a loose fist and hissed a breath of air through clenched teeth after one particular bite left a painful sting, tightening the fingers tangled in his hair while his free hand slipped between them both to fumble with the button of jeans that belong to hips that lift to encourage and invite more only for Aomine to abruptly sit up, straddling his thighs with a breathless chuckle.

"You're real, right? Kise Ryouta... Yeah?" Seeming to be gazing down at him though all Kise could see was a silhouette. Even so the only thing that wasn't dithering was Aomine's hands apparently.

The knot in the pit of Kises' stomach was back to twisting and tightening when he heard the quiet sounds of Aomine's zipper and the push of fabric across skin. "..What?" asked the model after a pause, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious and thanking the Gods it was dark once he felt heat rising in his cheeks. Was he getting ahead of himself..? He managed a quiet laugh under his breath, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart behind his ribs as he reached up with one hand and placed it against the side of the other's face, brushing his thumb across his cheek as though to convince him he was there. "One and only," he chimed, still sounding a little breathless before dropping his hand to a toned shoulder and running it down the length of his arm then away to tug off his hoody and placing it off to the side. Once again he gave the other's arm a pull to bring him back down, searching for lips and ghosting hands along the smooth ridges between muscles and down to hips; gently pressing his thumbs into tanned skin.

At the pull the Touou ace fell, eagerly upon him with an apparent thirst for pleasure and intimacy, and familiarity that was slaked through stealing intense kisses and intertwining their bodies in the manner of lovers who had been parted for too long. There was something almost desperate to it, in the way that arms wrapped themselves over his shoulders and hands roamed, committing every touch to memory as though he'd drift away from him again, that'd he wake up and he wouldn't be there come morning.

Impatiently, the dark haired male grasped both their lengths after spitting in his hand. "You miss me?" The copycat was asked.

His lungs had emptied of breath when fingers wrapped around him, caught off guard by the question causing him to hesitate with answering. "Yeah..." he eventually breathed out, steadying his breathing with one, two, three deep breaths before finding his voice again. "I tried not to, but sometimes..." It wasn't as though he harked after him every waking minute, more worried about surviving to see the next day and had even come to terms that chances were pretty high he wasn't even alive but there was still a small part that missed him; the endless teasing and all. His train of thought was paused for a moment, interrupted by a moan as he pushed up into his hand, even dropping one of his own between them and placing it over Aomine's. Nosing into the side of his neck, lips left small trails of kisses across his skin, down along the top of his shoulder, retracing the trail back to his neck, up as far as the hinge of his jaw, just below his ear. "Did you miss me?"

"Sometimes." Aomine admitted with clear reluctance, lapsing back into silence punctuated only by low noises of pleasure that tumbled past his lips as he rocked into the tight circle made by his, no- their hands. A soft pant was followed swiftly by a husky, low murmur; "I'm going to…"

He swore his heart would have popped at any moment with a mix of relief and... just everything; it was a lot to take in suddenly and he supposed he would have time to mull over it later or tomorrow or some other time but not right now. Once granted easier access to the tanned column of skin in the manner of Aomine tipping his face away, Kise wasted no time in searching around for that right spot to latch on to; suckling on a patch of skin he captured between his teeth until he'd left an irritated red mark that he wouldn't get to inspect until morning light. With the announcement taken into consideration, he switched his hands between them so that he was using his dominant hand, batting Aomine's away for the time being as he sought to bring him over the edge himself; pressing their foreheads together and stealing quick kisses here and there while he was in close proximity.

Clearly Kise's hands were not an unwelcome replacement as his elbows settled each side of the models' head, back bowed over him with chaste kisses fleetingly granted until he was stiffening and jutting his hips forward in an irregular motion with a low, deep groan. Spilling and then flopping selfishly atop the other with most of his bodyweight reluctantly supported on his arms. Their stomachs slick, together, he chuckled breathlessly...

Kises' own body tensed as he approached, though it was more from anticipation than anything else; breathing had come in pants as warmth had spilled across his stomach, accepting the weight that was dropped on him with a quiet groan, followed by a light chuckle at the comment he was gifted;

"Rub against me until you come."

"Don't be lazy, Aominecchi," teased the blonde, speaking through the side of his mouth against the kiss he had subsequently stolen, not wanting to break it as he reached to the side of his head for the other's hand, pulling it back and placing it back around his dick.

Aomine broke the kiss as the blond wrapped the Touou ace's hand around the throbbing length that had previously been pressed against him although almost immediately it released him.

Kise's head snapped up from laying back flat when he felt the other shuffle down, panicking slightly having not expected him to; a stuttering mess of 'a-ah's and 'hang on, wait's.

Missing once, then succeeding the second time as the tanned ace took him in his mouth with a grossed out noise probably because he could taste his own cum—Aomine'd always been funny about it but sucked at the hard length nevertheless. The small of the models' back arched off the bedding, slipping a hand through the short hairs at the back of his lovers neck and, as wished, it wasn't long before he was unravelling as well, giving Aomine's shoulders a few taps to let him know since he couldn't find his voice all of a sudden, in case he wanted to pull back before then; thighs tightening around shoulders in the seconds before release, eventually spilling with a ragged moan falling from parted lips before tensed muscles melted back against the bedding. Breathing coming in slow pants as his senses returned to him and the tanned ace shifted his thighs from his shoulders before abruptly wiping Kise clean with something soft he couldn't identify.

Subsequently, Aomine flopped next to him with a grunt. "...It took you too long to find me" snorted so softly it might be a whisper.

Once wiped down, he turned onto his side, back to Aomine, and shuffled back against him; slotting in comfortably against his body as though it were moulded just for him. "I don't want to hear about being late from you," he murmured back, a smile obvious in his voice as heavy eyes closed over and he pulled the sheets around them to keep the night's chill out. His arm came to rest atop the one wrapped around his waist, finally feeling safe for the first time in a long time, confident he'd get an actual night's rest for once…

No, not yet, ten more minutes— The rousing next to him was peeling away the blanket of sleep, tugging the sheets further around himself in desperate attempts to sleep a little longer but it was no use; consciousness had been awakened, there would be no getting back to sleep any time soon. Reluctantly, he stretched out his stiff limbs with a drawn out yawn, turning his head to the side to look at the other by his side; turning onto his stomach and worming his way under his arm, loosely draping one of his own around the small of his waist. "Morning." Assumed it was morning at least, not sure if it had passed noon or not, hard to tell anymore what time of day it was.

Apparently unable to reclaim sleep, Aomine settled for grunting as he shifted to sit, tugging away from Kise and scrubbing his face with one hand. "...Guess we'd better start packing today." He said, tone a little sleepy and punctuated with a yawn. "...You fit enough to travel?"

Rolling onto his back again, the model stretched his arms over his head once more before dragging himself to sit up as well, pushing messy locks of hair that needed cut away from his face, glancing over the scratches and bruises on his body for the first time now that it was light. "Yeah, I think so. If you're sure you want to leave…" He didn't sound convinced considering he had been living here safely for a fortnight, though getting back on track was also important. Leaving the decision to Aomine, he stretched across to the pile of discarded clothing from the night before, leaving the warmth of the blanket to get changed.

Aomine climbed upright, heading into the bathroom and soon emerging again all the cleaner for it. Tugging on clothes and then reaching for a metal bat that had been leaning in the corner, somewhat splattered with gore to begin with. A knife also shoved in his belt, leaving a- Was that a gun? Really? Seriously? "Don't shoot unless you have to." He stated firmly, heading over to the boxes and carelessly kicking them aside so as to gain access to the main body of the shop.

Kises' expression dropped when issued a warning, pulling the barrowed hoody on before casting a glance at the other. "I know." Emphasis on the second word as though to say 'I'm not stupid, y'know?' Tugging his boots on, he padded to the bathroom to splash some water on his face and root through the pockets of the jeans he changed out of from the night before, taking the belt and securing it back around his waist, checking the knife he had slotted into a holster was still intact. Following Aomine out into the main space of the shop, glancing around and reflecting on the short-lived moments of easy safety.

"Shut up." Aomine murmured, padding through the aisles to make sure they were clear before relaxing, finally. As Kise asked how he could help he retorted "Grab a bag, fill it with food and stuff. Practical things." He wasn't going to be carrying anything for Kise, whether he'd lost weight or not- He already had his gear made up ready to grab and leave at any moment. After a second he visibly hesitated. "There's chocolate near the till." A suggestion as to small luxuries that would be hard to find later.

"Yessir," murmured the blond, letting his eyes trail after the tall figure for a moment before taking an empty bag that was left lying around and filling it with anything he could find that would be of use; food, a few packs of painkillers, a t-shirt he came across—not the freshest but no doubt they'd be glad of it eventually—chocolate? He was sceptical, heading off to check he wasn't lying, hardly believing there was actually some there. The bars were stuffed into the bag without a moment's thought, thinking more that they'd come in handy during travelling when blood sugars were low for a brief boost in energy rather than as a treat. Once he'd made the rounds and couldn't find anything else of potential use, he zipped up the bag and flung it over his shoulder, shifting its weight slightly until it was comfortable as he wandered off to find Aomine. "I think I'm ready."

"A'ight." He finished pushing last-minute items into his bag then reluctantly turned to the door out back. Exiting out into an empty yard and turning to the fire escape nearby to silently ascend.

Shutting the door behind him after stepping out into the yard, Kises' eyes squinted away the burn of direct sunlight, lifting a hand up to use as a visor until his eyes acclimatised. He followed as expected, not too fond of roof hopping though whichever way was quickest and safest—silently thankful they were both at least able when it came to jumping, their past hobbies coming in useful now more than ever.

Soon they both reached the concrete, empty roof. A few bodies, skulls crushed. The Touou ace indicated the roof nearby, a short jump between. "We're going to make progress this way. Don't slip." The last more of a joke, morbid humour really.

"Yeah, yeah. Just go already." Giving his shoulder a small nudge to urge him on instead of cracking jokes. Aomine lead the leap. It wasn't far, enough that if he hadn't wanted to jump he could probably have just stepped across, give or take a little stretch. Adjusting the bag on his shoulder, the copycat basket-baller gauged the space between the roofs and made the jump with ease. "Y'know, if we can make it to the back roads and find a car we could probably drive as far as the gas tank would take us—they weren't as bad as the cities when we passed through them."

"If they haven't been syphoned already. Plus, dunno if you thought I'd know how to but I sure as hell don't know how to jack a car without using keys."

"I'm not just a pretty face, y'know," chimed with a small grin; he'd learnt how to hotwire a car a while ago."

Now reassured of the others ability to jump, Aomine headed for the next rooftop and then paused. Three walkers... How had they gotten up there? Well, no rest for the wicked. With a soft; "Alley-oop," he made it and tugged out the bat with an anticipatory growl and grin. Closing in on the walkers as they turned on him with no fear at all, disposing of two and teasing the third almost like the disinterest he had in a basketball game that held no challenge. It was almost... Disrespectful to what the walker had been before it died.

Kise paused in his tracks as Aomine took off towards the walkers, frozen in place as he watched his demeanour do a 180—a little unsettled by it if truth be told though he knew he should have expected as much. But still… They weren't toys. Pulling himself together, he hopped onto the next roof, looking over the corpses that had just dropped, biting his tongue to keep himself from commenting on it. A few more roofs were cleared, handling a few of the walkers himself with his blade, narrowly dodging a few holes that had been broken into some of the roofs; continuing on until they reached a crossroads of sorts, unable to progress any further along the rooftops. Catching his breath, he looked out over the landscape for possible routes they could take. "Which way do you want to go?"

"...Down." The Touou ace declared, swinging himself off the edge of the building with apparent familiarity he hooked his hands into the ladder that made its way almost to the ground and begun climbing down, a little awkward with the bat in his hand but it seemed he could just hold the rungs with the tip of his fingers on that side just fine.

"…Obviously," muttered under his breath, the point of his question lost in translation, having meant going through the cities or back roads like he suggested. Knife was slotted back into its' holder as he began the descent down the ladder, making frequent checks down to make sure he wasn't too close to stepping on Aomine's fingers on one of the rungs.

Having dropped the last meter or so, Aomine lead the charge. "The only one who can bite me, is me." He laughed, ploughing on ahead.

Kise however took more care with dismounting, gathering himself again before heading off, keeping pace and trying so hard not to roll his eyes. "You need a new line, Aominecchi" he quipped in response, failing at hiding the small grin that tugged at the corner of his lips because he was still using that line and Kise still wondered how cool he thought it must have soundedsounded—he would have broken out into a bout of laughter had they have been under easier circumstances.

Reaching the end of the alley, taking out a few stray walkers that were staggering about—Aomine taking the brunt of them, Kise drawing the attention of a few to stop him from being swarmed—he was in the midst of dislodging his blade from being wedged into some poor bastard's skull when he heard the rattling of a chain fence. Looking up, his heart sank, almost falling through the floor of his stomach at what he saw; a wall of walkers jammed up against the fence, their combined weight tilting the flimsy barricade. "Aominecchi.. There's another gate, right?"

"Uh, maybe." He shrugged, a bit too blasé for the situation. Clearly he hadn't expected the gate to be overwhelmed. Turning on his heel, he hesitated. "Tch, guess we could go back and find a different route? …Or that. Guess there was no point washing you." Chuckling and indicating a manhole cover he'd not mentioned nor it seems noticed before.

Kises' face screwed up as his eyes were directed to the manhole and realisation set in; beforehand it would have been absolutely out of the question though another glance to the fence and the decision was made, only taking a few seconds to weigh up the pros and cons. With a resigned sigh, he stepped over the cover and pried it open after receiving some help; his strength still not fully restored though he could manage enough. Searching in a side-pocket on his bag, he grabbed a small torch and flicked it on, holding it between his teeth before beginning the climb down with reluctance; eyes trained up as he watched daylight disappear again once Aomine dragged the cover back over once he was in as well.

Impatient, Aomine had soon decided to tease Kise by pressing his foot on his head. Softly tapping once or twice. "Mmm... Aaaa... Hurry up." He drawled, much like he would have back at Touou, sprawled on the floor in the aftermath of a nap before Momoi nagged him. Really, it wasn't like anyone would want to go in a sewer so there probably weren't zombies. Maybe. Eh.

"Eehh— mmhnine-chii!" Speaking around a torch in your mouth wasn't exactly easy though the syllables should have been fairly easy to work out; swatting at the disgusting, dirty boot that tapped against his head—first time in weeks he had somewhat clean hair, was that really necessary?

When they reached the bottom the tanned man dug out his torch, flicking it on and spinning his bat. "Let's pick a direction and stick with it. I have a watch in my pocket, so when it gets late we'll head back up and hole up for the night, or something."

"Fine, just.. —that way," The blond decided on a tunnel that looked to be going in the general direction they were originally heading in. He stayed alert for any signs of life or living dead, though the chances of finding anyone or anything down here were slim and that fact alone was somewhat comforting. Mind wandered back to the others' unnerving switch in behaviour, stealing unsure glances in his direction as they progressed forward; wanting to say something but even Kise knew that was a terrible idea. He needed to distract himself from the thoughts, thinking instead of things like wanting a hot shower or soaking in a bath, a comfortable bed with clean sheets and music—God, he missed listening to music—playing basketball with his friends. His friends in general… Thinking was making it worse. "How far do you think we've walked?" Lord knows he was talking for the sake of talking, at the high risk of getting on the other's last nerve but that was always the case and he never was too good at dealing with quietness.

"Who knows" Aomine murmured, sounding amused by the question. He set a lazy pace, as always taking things in his time. Occasionally he flicked the torch into the entrances they passed but never paused. His stamina was nigh tireless, despite being a lazy ass when he had the chance to be. "So how did you get this far?" Curious, he turned his back on the direction they had been going for a moment to shine the light in Kise's eyes, like a dick and then turning back.

The brief drop in the models' expression when posed a question was quickly erased when the glaringly bright light was flashed in his face; extending his leg out and kicking him in reprisal and earning a grunt, a laugh and then the other bouncing out of kicking range in case another followed in swift succession.

"Same way you did, probably? Killing anything that could have killed me." Tone more heavy-hearted than usual, no room for his usual chipper attitude because there was nothing to be chipper about; losing friends, seeing them die. Why did he care, anyway? Wasn't it obvious that everybody was in the same boat more or less? Not a single person alive could have lived this long without experiencing losses, he was sure of it. Even if he wouldn't admit it himself, Kise could tell that Aomine was at least concerned about Momoi and where she was, if she was alright. Apart from that he was hard to read, almost seeming desensitised to reality as though it were some sort of game; like he was bored with it. "Did you wander off on your own?"

"Aa, I guess. I wanted to nap." Aomine rolled his shoulders and then he settled his bat over one. Playing with the torch, casting shadows. "When I woke up everyone was gone... Then I guess I figured it was just easier to look for Akashi. Got here, then decided to nap some more."

He fucking napped through half of the apocalypse— "You're unreal.." mumbled Kise, incredulous at his utter lack of vim in regards to waking up, stranded and alone in a world full of monsters waiting to snack on him, given the chance.

During the time Kise had spoken, Aomine had paused to think and finally found an answer to Kise's unaddressed questions; "Hmm. You're probably the first person I've seen in a few months. Alive that is, and not trying to smash my head in." He lapsed into silence, brows furrowing. As if he could hear something, or thought he might have, before relaxing. "Lets' keep going." Tone a little firmer, eyes narrowed.

The copycat's senses were back on alert, glancing around the damp tunnel in search of something that was suspected to be there though nothing jumped at him; just nodding his compliment and pressing forward, happily dropping the conversation at hand. They continued on, conversation sparse and voices hushed before meeting a crossroads in the tunnels, presented with a left-or-right choice. "Hey, what time is it?"

Aomines' hand dug into his pocket and soon the reply came; "Six. We should probably head up, unless you want to keep going overnight." A pause, then; "Yeah, let's go." Choosing one of the tunnels at the fork at random, they continued in that direction until he had found a ladder up, then pausing. Uncovered... That wasn't a good sign. "Keep an eye out." He said, firmly, before beginning to pull himself up towards the surface.

Torches stowed away, Kise also hauled himself up the ladder and into daylight, breathing in the fresher air as soon as his head emerged from the hole. Blade drawn the instant he was on his feet, he took a steadying breath and gave the area a quick scan, and following Aomine like a shadow and holding a light grip on the hem of his shirt. As unsettling as he had been earlier, if something were to happen Kise knew not to get separated from him or it'd most likely be over, end game.

Ahead he spotted a cluster of the creatures, all huddled around something and they looked to be feeding, quickly assessing the situation before pointing them out. "There, at the corner." Six or seven from what he could see who knew how many more nearby. They could always just try to outrun them, they did have the upper hand when it came to speed, but that of course left them liable to be traced back to wherever they ended up pitching for the night. Better to clear the path now while they were distracted, he released his grip on Aomine's shirt and steeled his nerves before advancing after the other's green light.

An arm abruptly stretched out to keep Kise from overtaking the tanned ace who then nodding over to a far wall, showing a few more they wouldn't have seen until it was too late had they charged in. Tugging his knife out with a soft noise of metal on the leather of the belt, he advanced on the bigger group. Frame tense, wary, alert. Not straying too far from Kise truth be told, as he struck. Two in one go, a knife to the base of the skull and another whose head had been hanging on by what seemed like threads anyway beheaded by the bat. 'Course, it would have gone fine had more not started to shamble in, leaving only one point to exit from and that wasn't including the sewers. "Fuck, oi, we gotta run." It hurt his pride but he didn't fancy dying either.

Kise was hyperaware of what was going on around him, making quick glances over his shoulder at Aomine without distracting himself too much from his own handful of walkers. A streak of panic set in when told to retreat; gripping the handle of his knife with both hands as he gave the abdomen of a walker a flat kick to propel it back and free his knife from being stuck in its head with a sickening crunch. But it was quickly forgotten, the bag on his back hitched up higher before making a break for it, this time not looking back, not looking over his shoulder to see how many were behind them. Narrowly making it to their escape route, another alley, they managed to block the entrance off by rolling a large dumpster in the way, blocking the wheels from slipping with pieces of literally anything they could use; finally breathing a sigh of relief when satisfied they had secured it for the time being.

Entering a building through the back entrance, they were both on guard as they made a sweep of the property, taking out any unwelcome inhabitants and making sure it would be safe for them to rest there, at least for a few hours until the sun returned. Of course, before then Aomine had insisted that they securely barricade the door leading out into the garden which infringed on the alley they'd fled from. Not letting up until the pile was sizeable and the appropriate windows were blocked up. Then, unwilling, or too lazy to scavenge through the house for supplies, he left that task to Kise should he have wanted to do it and headed for the bathroom.

Unbeknown to Kise, Aomine had quite merrily taken to unzipping with a low whistle and getting to it in the fairly clean toilet that had beckoned him with an almost sirens-call thanks to his full bladder. Of course, Aomine would have probably enjoyed it better if mid-stream some little kid hadn't snuck up on him. With a low noise he had tugged the showerhead which had been dangling level to his chest, next to him and effectively clubbed the little shit with one hand whilst still pissing. It was sort of a shame that Kise hadn't been around to see that.

In the meanwhile, Kise had dumped his bag somewhere near the door as he had set off to scout around the building, pocketing this and that as he went, even finding some batteries they could use for the torches though he wasn't sure if they were empty or not; one could hope they weren't. He went in search of the other after hearing some mild commotion at the other end of the house, stepping over a few mangled corpses on the way. "Aominecchi, are you al—" he broke off, finding him examining the wardrobe, unusually reflective; putting two and two together after spotting the trail of blood that was a little hard to miss. "Found some food if you're hungry.." he offered, trying to lure him away from his pensive daze.

"...Yeah." Aomine sounded more tired than he felt, turning back from the construct of plywood that he had apparently been contemplating – the place within which the child walker that had stalked him had been hiding. Perhaps a child that had starved to death in its fear to emerge lest it got eaten or bitten and turning to the blond. "We should probably only use the stuff in our bag if we can't find other stuff around."

"It's fine, I found some stashed away, they must have been trying to keep it safe." Kise answered automatically. It wasn't as though they'd hit the jackpot but it was enough and better than nothing at all; saving them from having to dip into the supplies they already had.

There was then a pause in a response being given, before a question most unsuited to the dark haired man escaped as if it had been something he'd perceptively been considering for a long time now; "Hey, do you think they're trapped? In their mind? Like they want to get out but all their body wants to do is eat?"

Turning on his heel with the other hot behind him and heading to the aforementioned storage of food, Kise cocked his head over his shoulder after listening to the question, brow knit into light creases above the bridge of his nose as he thought; giving his answer after turning his gaze forward again. "Eh? ..I never thought about it. Probably not, I've never seen any that seemed to have any sort of.. thoughts, I guess. Why?" Grabbing a pack of.. something. Rations, apparently; dry bars that were packed with calories. Chucking a couple of them to Aomine.

The ace in question shrugged wordlessly, apparently not having an answer for that as he wrinkled his expression at the rations when he caught them. "Is there anything else?" Clearly disliking them though it wasn't as thought he could afford to be a picky eater, he was just being difficult. Tearing one open an eyeing it without relish at the thought of consuming it. "Did you find any water?" He'd remembered to pack a few bottles but there was no guarantee all of the houses would be hooked up to a water supply that hadn't stopped working.

"Just eat it." Unless he wanted to take from the food they brought with them. "Umm.." dithering for a moment as the copycat went back to looking around, taking a few bites of the bar he opened for himself every now and again, not hating the flavour though it was far from appealing at the same time. Bland, more than anything. Checking in cupboards in the kitchen, he found a few empty bottles, gathering them out and setting them on the counter; holding the bar between his teeth for the time being as he turned the tap at the sink on a whim, perking up when it began spitting out water. "Guess so~" he chimed looking over his shoulder, flashing a grin before turning back around and filling up the bottles before the tap started to run dry.

Aomine stuffed the rest of his ration bars in his mouth, chewing through them in an effort to pass the hurdle quickly, to get the 'chore' of eating out of the way in favour of other things. "Aa, I guess we should take turns to watch. In case those things break in. You sleep- We need to decide on an escape route if they break through though." Still taking in the smile that had dimmed long ago in favour of a concentrated expression, in his mind. Closing his eyes.

"Can you check what it's like out the front? I'll finish this." Screwing the caps back on the bottles once they had been filled, the blond took them to his backpack that he left near the back door and packed them in, padding them out with articles of clothing to stop rattling when they were back on the move as well as to keep them—hopefully—upright and from spilling over. Wandering off, he scouted out the bedrooms, always on the lookout for things they could take though he didn't find much; mainly concerned with the beds. They seemed to be in decent nick, grabbing the blankets off one and taking the sheets off. He'd use it to cover the mattress on the bed in the next room, something a little cleaner to sleep on, even removing the pillow cases since they didn't look too fresh; they'd have to make do.

A low call of "It's rammed" signalled that Aomine had obediently checked out the zombie population on the lower level up front of the house they were currently within, footsteps marking his return to the copycat's side.

Lips pursed into a half-pout at the report while the rest of Kise's face was written with unspoken worry and mind worked silently. "Out the back then?" As though there were many other options; he couldn't see any balconies or the likes that would grant access to the roof. Sinking down onto the edge of the bed, he rested his elbows atop his knees and rubbed at his temples, nursing the dull headache that had started throbbing; looking back up after a moment and reaching a hand out, making greedy fingers at the other. "Do you think we're near Akashicchi?"

Although the tanned man clearly seemed to be of the opinion that Kise was an idiot that craved personal contact it appears he was unable to find a reason to refuse the demand either. Sinking into a sitting position the Touou ace leaned into Kises' shoulder closed his eyes. "We could climb out a window… And I guess he must be at his house. So nah, he lives near Rakuzan remember?"

As the other's weight settled against his shoulder, Kise leaned his head against Aomine's, also letting his eyes close over for a few moments as tiredness began to sink in properly. "Yeah... But I don't know where we are exactly." No maps, none of the streets looked as they used to and they just travelled who knows how far through tunnels; they could be anywhere for all he knew. Well, it didn't matter at the moment since it was too late to travel.

"I have a rough idea." Was replied as the others arm slipped around the blond mans' shoulders. Not particularly one for physical contact but at the same time Aomine seemed to enjoy it when initiating it of his own accord. A dominance thing probably, you know what they say about boys and their (basket)balls.

Weary limbs began to feel lighter with the more he relaxed, consciousness waning though his mind stayed active, perhaps too active. "Aominecchi, did you ever feel like.. Giving up?" he mumbled, voice tired though honestly curious.

"Not really." Aomine dismissed the notion with a snort, rolling his shoulders in a powerful motion. Kise could feel the muscles of the arm about him ripple even slightly at the flex. "Just because everyone is dying doesn't mean I have to be in a hurry to get next in line. Besides… I have a feeling Akashi would find our walker asses and kick them regardless."

His answer earned a quiet, curt laugh from the model. "Heh, probably." Sounded about right. Sometimes, however, he had to wonder if their pact would bring them all together in the end— all in one piece, at least. It was one thing promising it, but an entirely different thing actually surviving in this new world. Time would tell. "How far do you think? Couple of days?" Hopefully. Toeing his boots off and letting them fall to the floor with soft thuds, Kise brought both knees up to his chest and leaned more of his weight against his lover's side, settling in a little further under his arm. "Are you staying awake for the night?"

"Don't want to." Aomine protested with a yawn, an apparent lack of caring that the undead were practically swarming the house. "If they break in while we're sleeping then shit happens, I guess." Rolling his shoulders and pressing his face against the top of Kise's head. Eventually and unusually a compromise was proposed; "Let me borrow your lap for an hour, then you can sleep all night."

"Deal~" Sitting up straight and leaning his back against the wall behind him to get as comfortable as he could, the copycat tugged at Aomine's arm until he lay his head in his lap. His hands automatically found their way into the other's hair, combing through the loose knots until they were untangled, taking care not to tug at them knowing he'd probably get snapped at for causing discomfort. His eyes were kept trained down at the other's face, now that he had dozed off and he was sitting still, Kise could see how some of his features had hardened over the time they were separated, and perhaps it was only fitting all things considered. In any case Aomine seemed to fall into a deep sleep enviously quickly and it was just over an hour later that he softly, and then insistently shook him awake. Aomine gifted Kise in return a bleary look and yawn.

"I'm going to go look around and stretch my legs." Forcing himself upright and hardly giving Kise a chance to say much before he was treading down the stairs with very little sense of stealth. The bedrooms' door closed behind him. Even despite the loss of a warm body next to him and the feeling of security that came with it, Kise managed to slip into a surprisingly easy sleep once he had laid down on his side and bunched the sheets around himself. He wasn't sure how long he was out for—probably not long enough—before he was roused from his sleep again with a loud call of his name from downstairs. Darting up, alert, he sat in silence for a few seconds to try and hone in on all of the noise coming from outside before scrambling off the bed and putting his boots back on. Both bags were grabbed and slung over his shoulders before bounding down the stairs, not far from tripping over himself and halting dead in his tracks when he almost ran straight into Aomine, who was stood in waiting at the bottom.

Handing one of the bags to him, clearly panicked and still not sure what was going on, he looked out through the cracks in one of the boarded up windows to see the silhouette of a walker staggering past. "Is the back clear?"

Aomine tugged the bag from him and grasped Kise's arm in an almost wrenching tug as he lead him impatiently to the window he had speculated aloud about prior. Releasing him to crack it open and shoving his bat into Kise's hands even as an ominous creaking and thudding suggested the things Aomine seemed to have placed over the windows out front were splintering under the sheer weight of the undead's assault. It was a mystery why they had become aware of the pairs presence although the shouting by Aomine hadn't helped in the slightest and the tanned ace tugged open a kitchen drawer, yanking free a large carving knife that'd probably do more damage at this point. "Hurry the fuck up." Aomine hissed as he kicked the kitchen door shut, upending the small kitchen table and the chairs in front of it.

Before squeezing out the window Kise had paused to wedge the back of the chair beneath the door's handle before exiting and Aomine smoothly squeezed out after Kise into the thin space between the house and the neighbours fence. "There— the window is open." Had been growled.

Kise made the small hop over the fence once he saw Aomine emerging from the window a few seconds later and the noise of fabric rubbing suggested that he had also scaled that minute obstacle.

Deft fingers hooked under the small space at the bottom of the windowsill at the neighbour's house, before it was given a co-ordinated tug by them both that saw the window slide open. Bordered from the inside, they had to knock some planks of wood out that were loosely wedged into the frame before they could climb in, quick to get to the task of scanning the property for any unwanted guests; the sounds of thuds and scrapping on the floorboards overhead not filling him with hope.

"I'll take upstairs." Aomine called, indicating Kise should make himself useful and look for the next jaunt on their route to freedom even as he took no subtlety in climbing the stairs with knife in hand. Before Kise even had a chance to object, Aomine had all but finished ascending the stairs and with a resigned sigh, he readied himself again and made off through the house. He took out two skinny walkers that he came across with the blade he was armed with, checking out the windows once the rooms were cleared, in search of possible escape routes. He was drawing blanks when all he could see in plain sight were sizeable gatherings of undead creatures at every turn.

Growing frustrated, he peered out the side of the house and saw another group of walkers though this one looked a bit smaller, manageable if the two of them took it on. From what he could see, they were near some sort of gate and in the distance he thought he could see the opening to some woodlands, though he wasn't certain as it wasn't light out yet.

Hearing footsteps coming back down the stairs, he went to meet Aomine to relay what he found, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow with his sleeve. "They're everywhere, but I think we can get out through this side door. There's five or six out there all in one group, if we can make it past them—" He paused after the smashing of glass from the front of the house cut him off, before heading back towards their exit without further explanation.

Aomine accepted the others plan in good faith, not questioning him likely due to the situation and his own overwhelming confidence and jogging after him. As they quit the house, the Touou ace took the initiative.

Kise's voice died on his tongue when he called after Aomine to wait after he charged forward on his own, the blonde soon running after him to assist in clearing the small group that stood between them and their escape.

Apparently Aomine decided at the last minute that a knife probably wouldn't cut such a full-frontal assault. There was still a good half meter between him and the mob so he had seemingly no concerns in turning his back on them to yell to Kise, who faltered slightly when he saw him turning back around, though quickly put two and two together; already reaching behind his head for the handle of the baseball bat that stuck out from his backpack, intent on bringing it to its rightful owner until arms jerked about the Touou ace's throat through the rails of the fence between this small alley and the neighbouring house.

It was rather numbingly quick how easily teeth sunk through the bare, tanned flesh. At a languid pace that hinted at disbelief and shock Aomine lifted his eyes towards the blond.

"I— What?" The words were cut off by the crimson that bubbled past his lips. A cough, painful, pain and clarity abruptly returning to him as indicated when the Touou ace jerked his frame forwards in an effort to get away, anywhere away from the source of his current agony. An almost feral yell of agony as he jerked the knife overhead in a futile struggle.

"—No!" A coarse yell as everything slowed down and all the breath seemed to leave him lungs. He stumbled once before finding his strength again, eyes stung with the prickling of tears as he hurried forward, the bat drawn from his bag for him to swing at the creature's already mangled arms until it released Aomine from its grasp. Kise was quick to drag him away from the fence and lean him against the wall of the house they just left, but it was too late— the damage was already done.

Working on a mix of adrenaline and anger, he managed to clear that group of walkers before rushing back to Aomine with splatters of blood across his pale cheeks. Sinking to his knees in front of the other, his heart sank and his chest squeezed painfully when he saw blood pooling from the wound on the side of Aomine's neck, reaching forward to cover it with a shaky hand— they always said to put pressure on a wound to stop the bleeding, right? But he knew it was useless now.

His free hand cupped his cheek as Kise leaned forward to press their foreheads together as the first, warm tear trickled down his cheek. He didn't.. Know what to do, this wasn't supposed to happen— they were going to make it to Akashi's place together, where the rest of them would be waiting, safe and sound. That was the plan, that's what brought them this far.

"Aominecchi.." he murmured after a hitch in his breath, meaning to say 'Please, don't die, don't let this happen' though he didn't have enough voice in him to say it in so many words.

"…Fuck." The words were strained. It was amazing he could even talk right now and in any case that seemed to pulse more blood in a hot, oozing warmth past finger that had splayed over the bite. Breath rattling, wet and sucking just like one of those self-same zombies the man had killed not long back. "Ki.." He attempted to say the others name but it seems it was too much for him and Aomine instead lifted a hand to the bloodied bat that had been dropped to try and force it into the one that had moments ago cupped his cheek. "Do it." A heavy sigh followed the barely intelligible growl, brows knit as his eyes closed. Wouldn't everyone rather die in control of their own body rather than shamble around for some lowlife to gun down. He was shivering though it was hard to tell if that was from cold or fear as a hand curled into the copycats' shirt, clumsy and trembling as blood pumped out of his body with each beat of his heart.

Kise's shoulders shook as he tried to contain the sobs that were threatening to leave him, his ears deaf to the groaning and scratching of the walkers behind the fence down at the end of the alleyway. He shook his head, repeating 'No..' over and over in denial because this wasn't happening, it couldn't be, there was no way.

But it was happening, he had all the proof in front of him from the other's strained breathing to the warm streams of blood seeping through his fingers with each pump of his dying pulse.

Weakly pulling the knife from his belt instead, doubting he had enough strength to use the bat effectively, Kise pulled back to look at him, his complexion already paling from blood loss, and managed to breathe "I'm so sorry.." under his breath before leaning in to press their lips together for what would the last time; wishing that he could say that it was more sweet than it was bitter.

Lingering, reluctant to pull away again, Kise eventually manoeuvred them around so that he was sat behind Aomine with one arm wrapped around him, pulling him close against his chest to keep him upright while he tried his best to steady his nerves and collect himself. He knew that so long as he could see the other's face, he wouldn't be able to go through with it.

Readying himself as best he could, placing another small kiss at the nape of his neck, Kise released his arm around Aomine's frame and used it to tip his head forward and to the left, exposing the wound on the right side of his neck. After noticing the other's breathing beginning to even out, before it was too late, the blade was plunged into the open gash after Kise gathered the last of his strength, hacking it through flesh and bone at the back of his neck with a sickening crunch until the deed was done and the knife was dropped to the ground with a cold clink.


End file.
